The Designer Making Menswear For A Lost Generation

There’s a story behind Tim Coppens’ latest collection, and it’s a doozy. The Belgian designer created a character called Max, a young renegade who takes his dirt bike from New York to Europe for the first time. There, he meets a woman named Tequila and the two begin a trek across a post-apocalyptic version of the continent. Familiar territory, right? Now, obviously, one doesn’t acquire the name Tequila by being an everyday sort of gal, and Tequila has some quirks—namely, she rides around on a white horse called Lady Lips. Oh, and she also has a (sadly nameless) pet white dove in her entourage. “I don’t think it’s crazy,” an understandably exhausted Coppens says backstage after he presented his Fall 2017 collection Wednesday night at a horse-racing track as part of the Pitti Uomo trade fair in Florence. He explains that the characters are stand-ins for many young people feeling lost in the world right now. “She’s on a white horse and he’s on a dirt bike and buildings are crumbling,” he says. “They fled, but there’s still a positive vibe around it. It’s not all dark. It’s still optimistic.” The clothing itself was very retro-futuristic, and—like the artfully decaying marble and glass show venue—suggests an alternate reality where teenage transient lovebirds like Tequila and Max might flourish. Racing stripes abounded on moto pants, while suiting fabrics were appropriated into sportier pieces. Hi-top sneakers looked like the type you’d wear on a bike track and were built from a shoe Coppens developed at his other gig as creative director for Under Armour Sportswear. There were also oversized sunglasses made with Mykita, and a strong case was made for the practicality of wearing a shearling and leather lanyard for your keys around your neck. See more at GQ.